Ailtirí na hAiséirghe
Encyclopedia
Ailtirí na hAiséirghe was a minor radical
nationalist
and fascist political party from Ireland
, founded by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin
in 1942. The party sought to form a totalitarian Irish Christian corporatist
state. Its objectives included the creation of a one-party state under the rule of an all-powerful leader; the criminalisation of the public use of the English language
; discriminatory measures against Jews
; the building-up of a massive conscript army; and the reconquest of Northern Ireland
. In the longer term, Aiséirghe aimed to make a fascist Ireland into a "missionary-ideological" state spreading its combination of totalitarian politics and Christian social principles worldwide.
An "organised group of anti-Semites", its sympathies were with the Axis powers
. It was one of a wave of minor far right
parties in 1940s Ireland that failed to achieve mainstream success, like the Monetary Reform Party
.
The party obtained no seats in the 1943
and 1944
general elections. In the 1945 local government elections, however, Aiséirghe candidates won nine seats (out of 31 contested), gaining a total of more than 11,000 first-preference votes.
Its supporters included Ernest Blythe
, Oliver J. Flanagan
and James Joseph Walsh. Seán Treacy, the future Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
, was a party member in the 1940s, as were the novelist Brian Cleeve
, the philosopher Terence Gray and the broadcaster and author Breandán Ó hEithir
. Although never a member, Seán South
was familiar with the group's publications.
After an internal split in late 1945, Aiséirghe's influence weakened. It held its last formal meeting in 1958, though the party newspaper continued to appear until the early 1970s.
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
and fascist political party from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, founded by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin
Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin
Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin was an Irish far right politician. He was born in 1910 into a comfortable middle-class Catholic family living in the Protestant-dominated Stranmillis district of Belfast...
in 1942. The party sought to form a totalitarian Irish Christian corporatist
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
state. Its objectives included the creation of a one-party state under the rule of an all-powerful leader; the criminalisation of the public use of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
; discriminatory measures against Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
; the building-up of a massive conscript army; and the reconquest of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. In the longer term, Aiséirghe aimed to make a fascist Ireland into a "missionary-ideological" state spreading its combination of totalitarian politics and Christian social principles worldwide.
An "organised group of anti-Semites", its sympathies were with the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
. It was one of a wave of minor far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
parties in 1940s Ireland that failed to achieve mainstream success, like the Monetary Reform Party
Monetary Reform Party
The Monetary Reform Party was a minor Irish political party of the 1940s. It was little more than an electoral vehicle for Oliver J. Flanagan, the long-serving TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly. As such, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the party independent from those about Flanagan...
.
The party obtained no seats in the 1943
Irish general election, 1943
The Irish general election of 1943 was held on 23 June 1943. The 138 newly elected members of the 11th Dáil assembled on 1 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
and 1944
Irish general election, 1944
The Irish general election of 1944 was held on 30 May 1944, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 9 May. The 138 newly elected members of the 12th Dáil assembled on 9 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
general elections. In the 1945 local government elections, however, Aiséirghe candidates won nine seats (out of 31 contested), gaining a total of more than 11,000 first-preference votes.
Its supporters included Ernest Blythe
Ernest Blythe
Ernest Blythe was an Irish politician.Ernest Blythe was born to a Presbyterian and Unionist family near Lisburn, County Antrim in 1889, the son of a farmer, and was educated locally. At the age of fifteen he started working as a clerk in the Department of Agriculture in Dublin.Blythe joined the...
, Oliver J. Flanagan
Oliver J. Flanagan
Oliver J. Flanagan was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served in Dáil Éireann for 43 years and was Minister for Defence for six months. He was elected to the Dáil fourteen times between 1943 and 1982, topping the poll on almost every occasion...
and James Joseph Walsh. Seán Treacy, the future Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, was a party member in the 1940s, as were the novelist Brian Cleeve
Brian Cleeve
Brian Brendon Talbot Cleeve was a prolific writer, whose published works include twenty-one novels and over a hundred short stories. He was also an award-winning broadcaster on RTÉ television. Son of an Irish father and English mother, he was born and raised in England...
, the philosopher Terence Gray and the broadcaster and author Breandán Ó hEithir
Breandán Ó hÉithir
Breandán Ó hEithir was an Irish writer and broadcaster.He was born in Galway City, but grew up on Inishmore , County Galway. His parents were national school teachers and Ó hEithir attended their school in Kilronan. He received his secondary school education at Coláiste Éinde in Galway...
. Although never a member, Seán South
Seán South
Seán South was a member of an IRA military column led by Sean Garland on a raid against a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland on New Year's Day, 1957...
was familiar with the group's publications.
After an internal split in late 1945, Aiséirghe's influence weakened. It held its last formal meeting in 1958, though the party newspaper continued to appear until the early 1970s.
See also
- Charles BewleyCharles BewleyCharles Henry Bewley was raised in a famous Dublin Quaker business family, embraced Irish Republicanism...
- Denis FaheyDenis FaheyFather Denis Fahey, C.S.Sp. was an Irish Catholic priest. Fahey promoted the Catholic social doctrine of Christ the King, and was involved in Irish politics through his organisation Maria Duce. Fahey firmly believed that "the world must conform to Our Divine Lord, not He to it", defending the...
- Maria DuceMaria DuceMaria Duce was a small ultra-conservative Catholic group in Ireland, founded in 1945 by Fr Denis Fahey, a priest associated with antisemitic opinions....
- William JoyceWilliam JoyceWilliam Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality...
- Third PositionThird PositionThird Position is a revolutionary nationalist political ideology that emphasizes its opposition to both communism and capitalism. Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right", instead claiming to syncretize radical ideas from both ends of the...
- Ancient Order of HiberniansAncient Order of HiberniansThe Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be Catholic and either Irish born or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New York City in 1836...